A hue known for its Irish roots, the kelly green color has come into its own in the last few years. Suggestive of rolling hillsides and flourishing greenery, it’s a hue that brings nature indoors. Growing in popularity for its striking appearance and refreshing change of pace, it’s a color that’s guaranteed to hold its style.

If you’ve been searching for a high-spirited addition to your living space, stay put and see why kelly green is the answer you’ve been waiting for.

What is Kelly Green?

Landing smack dab in the middle of blue and yellow, the kelly green color is a well-balanced shade of green. A vivid hue with a touch of warmth, tends to evoke emotions of balance and positivity. Not to be confused with emerald green, kelly green is a much lighter and more vibrant shade. A color with serious saturation, its glow and lightness leaves nothing to be desired.

Best Kelly Green Colors

Each brand paint company has its own take on kelly green paint, some more true to the original than others. At any rate, here’s a few choices that make the shortlist of the best kelly green colors on the market.

Benjamin Moore Kelly Green (26.63): A medium hue with a fresh, clean-cut finish.PPG Paints Aragon Green (37): A light and shining color with a glowing feel.Sherwin Williams Lucky Green (LRV 18) : A bold green with depth and vibrance.Behr Mint Sprig (LRV 25): A hair towards the blue side with a vivid look.Valspar Luscious Green (15.76): The darkest on the list, a rich hue with restraint.

Colors That Coordinate With Kelly Green

Seeing as kelly green is a well-blended mid tone, it can play well with both warm and cool colors. Even so, your choice in color combinations should come down to the undertones of the green color you choose. Regardless, there’s no lack of hues to meet the needs of any personal style. Here’s some ideas to help you get started:

BrownYellowBlueGrayOther GreensPinkBlackOrangeRedWhitePurple

Ways to Decorate With Kelly Green

The kelly green color is such a festive color that it deserves a spotlight all its own. Still, it can be difficult to know how to incorporate a color that’s so bold and bright. No worries though, there’s plenty of inspiration you can draw from to style your space. Check out these examples for ways to decorate with kelly green.

Accent Wall

Wyatt Poindexter of Keller Williams Elite

If you’re not ready to commit to kelly green as a whole wall color, an accent wall is a way to go. This fun beach-style space makes for a comfortable place to relax, surrounded by vivid green and splashes of other colors. The kelly green light fixture adds an extra pop of color, centering the room on the stimulating hue.

Furniture

Sally Barton

A simple addition with a huge visual impact, this buffet table is the highlight of the dining room. A furniture accent like this adds an exciting focal point to the white background color, creating a bright breath of color in an otherwise neutral space.

Artwork

GreyHunt Interiors

If you’re just starting to include kelly green into your color scheme, artwork is an effortless way to make changes. This transitional dining space offers multi-colored green artwork that cannot go unnoticed. Backed by deep black walls, it’s a winning combination.

Ceiling

Leslie May Designs

A daring option with a gorgeous payout, a kelly green ceiling is a unique approach that’s sure to turn heads. The eclectic entryway above is a prime example of the distinct effect of such a vibrant color when used in a more uncommon way. A kelly green ceiling with surrounding elements to match, it not only looks nice, it feels inviting.

Decorative Accents

d2 interieurs

The kelly green decorative accents make this transitional kitchen a gleaming background for any get-together. Polished light fixtures accompanied by patterned window trimmings sprinkle the right amount of color in this white-covered kitchen.

Whole Room Color

Dillon Kyle Architects (DKA)

>If you want green as the foreground of your space, using it as your whole room color is a simple way to achieve that goal. A showy option that’s as bold as it is attractive, full walls of kelly green will transform your space into a haven of relaxation. The inspired dining room above couples green and blue to create a tranquil and radiant space.

Cabinetry

HGTV

Whether it’s in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room or the like, cabinetry makes a great canvas for color saturation. Here, kelly green is center stage and stealing the show with a smooth and gleaming finish. Contrasted by a bright neutral background color, it has created a refreshing palette.

Wallpaper

If you want to take your walls to the next level, opt-out of traditional paint and select a wallpaper. The dining room here presents kelly green via a medium-toned shade with a textured surface for an added stand-out factor. Adorned with vibrant artwork, you can see it plays well with other colors.

Doors

TfDiaries

Painting interior doors has become a popular way to mix in color as of late and this color-filled room above shows why. A moody-themed area, the kelly green door no doubt grabs the focus of this space. Neighboring blue and purple colors carry a depth that’s leveled out by the glistening green.

Rugs

Eileen Kathryn Boyd Interiors

Adding a rug into your decor not only provides opportunities for integrating patterns but also different shades of color. Here you can see a living room that takes advantage of both. Strokes of the kelly green color in the rug mingle with surrounding jazzy colors that set this living space ablaze.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

Isn’t kelly green too bright?

While kelly green is, without doubt, an intense color, it’s not at all too bright.

A color that’s considered too bright is often too hard to look at, a literal pain to the eye.

As it relates to kelly green, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Green is not only easy on the eyes but also known to evoke a feeling of relaxation.

Kelly green’s glow has the ability to liven up any space with an air of playfulness that’s hard to attain in other shades.

What paint finish should be used for kelly green?

You’ll want to select a finish based on a few factors. The first being personal preference as some people like their paint to read more glossy or flat no matter the surface.

If you have no particular preference, here’s a few rules to keep in mind.

Use mattes and flats on lower traffic areas like ceilings and formal dining spaces.

Reserve satins and glosses for cabinets, doors and high traffic rooms as they’re more durable to touch.

What trim color looks best with kelly green?

Pairing the color kelly green with a white trim is an easy task so long as you stick to one general rule.

Be sure your trim color matches the feel of your wall color, in this case airing on the side of warmth.

Some examples of white trims with enough warmth to play well with kelly green: Sherwin Williams Dover White, Benjamin Moore White Dove, Sherwin Williams Alabaster, and Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee.

Kelly Green Paint Color: Conclusion

The color kelly green has the ability to create extraordinary energy in your living space. Equal parts bold and bright, it gives off a freshening feel similar colors can’t quite attain. Offering color combinations to suit a multitude of tastes, it’s easy to work into an existing color scheme. Not to mention, the abundance of elements you can use to create your kelly green look.

A true middle green with infinite possibilities, kelly green is the dramatic punch that’s sure to complete your next home refresh.